


Waiting On The Thunder

by CeliPuff



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, American Football Player Dean Winchester, Brief Mention of Dean and Others, Closeted Castiel (Supernatural), Coming Out, Dean/Cas Big Bang 2020 (Supernatural), Drunk Skittles, Eventual Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Falling In Love, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Castiel (Supernatural), Jock Dean Winchester, John Winchester Not Being an Asshole, M/M, Mutual Pining, Nerd Castiel (Supernatural), Night Moves Referances, No Underage Sex, Pansexual Dean Winchester, Underage Drinking, brief mention of drug use
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-08
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 17:40:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 20,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26891581
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CeliPuff/pseuds/CeliPuff
Summary: It’s the oldest cliche in the book. Nerd meets jock, jock falls for nerd, nerd takes a while to believe it’s all real. At Lebanon High, that cliche becomes a reality for two boys just tryin’ to lose those awkward teenage blues… together.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 72
Kudos: 279
Collections: DCBB 2020, The Destiel Fan Survey Favs Collection





	1. Sweet Summertime

**Author's Note:**

> I have to give a huge shoutout to my artist AggieDoll! Thank you for choosing my fic and making such awesome art for it. I love them all and there are so many to love.  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/26643103
> 
> I had two beta’s for this one, first was Ketch22 who helped not only with the editing but helped me break through that writer's block when I wanted to quit. This fic wouldn’t be here without you. Second was I_Am_The_Blue_Sunshine who offered her amazing beta skills for free and cheered me on when I was feeling insecure about some of these scenes, also for helping me ensure all my information on sexual orientation was current and correct. I love you both ❤️

**Dean**

****

For Dean Winchester, high school wasn’t half bad. It definitely had its moments, especially when he was on the field. Lebanon High had its ups and downs just like any other school, and overall Dean didn’t have many complaints.

The football team was full of sleazy jocks when Dean was a freshman, but now that he was a senior, he and a few others helped change the tone. To his surprise, most changed. Most of them _wanted_ to be good people, they were just fucking followers. Of course, the team still had some bad apples, but again, that was to be expected. It was high school after all.

At home, it was just him and his dad, John. Their mom passed away giving birth to his baby brother, and unfortunately, he didn’t make it either. Dean hardly had any memories of her since he was only five at the time. But, he remembered a few things… PB&J without the crust, the tune of a lullaby that he’d never remember the words to, and the phrase she said to him every night: ‘Angels are watching over you.’ _If only, Ma, maybe you’d still be around._

“Ready for that party tonight, Winchester?” Cole asked. They had been best friends since kindergarten, and even though Cole had been partying hard lately, Dean pushed aside his worries. He had faith his friend wouldn’t go too far over the ledge.

“Course. First party of senior year. Are _you_ ready?” Dean teased, knowing damn well Cole was always ready for alcohol. He ruffled the running back’s short hair and earned himself a shove. 

“Is your _boyfriend_ coming, _receiver?”_ Cole asked in a mocking tone. 

Dean shook his head, happy Lee had moved away. “Told you we broke up. And just to clarify, my position on the field is _not_ my position in bed. Ima hard top.” He chuckled at Cole’s fake gag. Dean was pansexual, and fucking proud. Girls, boys, enbies, labels didn’t matter. He was a firm believer in _hearts not parts._ “Nothin’ against bottoms, I just like doin’ the fucking.”

“Alright, already. Bad enough I walked in on the guy sucking you off last year.” Cole shuddered, making Dean laugh out loud.

“You needed to learn how to knock. Just cause you stay there sometimes, don’t mean you don’t gotta knock. Learned your damn lesson.” Dean slammed his locker shut and zipped up his backpack. “You still fuckin’ around with Jemma?” 

Cole closed his locker and shook his head. “Nope. Her and Kit got close over the summer and she asked me not to tell anyone we fucked...” he shrugged, “so keep your mouth shut, _Eleven.”_

Dean huffed a laugh as Michael walked up, not batting an eye at the nickname. Football players calling each other by their jersey number was common. “Sup, nerds, ready for the party tonight?” 

“Nerds? Maybe this guy, but me? Pfft.” Dean threw a hand playfully and moved on. “Yeah, we’re ready. Bringing the beer pong table? Because you probably shouldn’t… unless you want me to kick your ass again, Seven.” 

Michael and Dean were close in height, but Michael had him beat by an inch or two, so the quarterback was able to put Dean in a headlock without issue. Luckily, Dean was stronger, he broke out with ease and tried to pin Michael. It was all fun and games, but apparently teachers didn’t like fun. They ran out to break up what they thought was a real fight, and scolded them for playing violently. After a threat or two, they all moved on and went to the cafeteria for lunch.

He noticed Charlie and her friends and nodded at his favorite redhead. “Ima go say hi to Charlie.” He made his way over before Cole responded.

“Hey, Chuckles…” He glanced at her friends, “sorry, I’m shit with names.”

“I’m Kevin, this is Cas. Thanks for the effort,” the smaller Asian kid said, and Dean couldn’t tell if it was meant to be sarcastic or not. 

“Right…Uh, you all comin’ to the party tonight? It’s at Michael’s.” Dean rubbed the back of his neck. 

“Hells yeah!” Charlie said excitedly. “Kevin can’t make it, but Cas and I will be there. Right, Cas?”

“Like I'd let you go alone.” Cas grinned at Charlie and then looked back at Dean. 

_Damn his eyes are blue as fuck._ “Alright, see you tonight.” Dean nodded, before making his way back by his friends and inhaling his lunch.

He’d seen Cas around, they’d had a few classes together since freshman year, and he always hung with Charlie. Dean suddenly wondered how he never _truly_ noticed him before. The guy was hot. 

He considered talking to Cole about it but decided not to… at least not yet. Cole had been supportive since he came out and although he teased sometimes, Dean knew he’d never judge him. He just didn’t have a clue what to say or how to start that conversation, so he didn’t.

**Castiel**

Castiel on the other hand, had a much different experience than Dean. High school was rough. Teenagers were fucking assholes and he always felt like an old soul. He knew right from wrong at a young age, and the fact that people in high school were just learning it was infuriating. Especially the fucking jocks. 

They believed they ran the school and were hot-shit just because they were athletic and could pull any chick they wanted. Or actually, not _any_ chick; not Charlie, and her turning them down made his day a few times.

Dean Winchester was definitely the hottest guy in the country, but the problem was, he knew it. He carried himself like he knew it and that alone was enough to keep Cas from thinking too much about him. All jocks sucked, and Dean was surely no different. 

Cas just hung out with a completely different crowd. He had messy onyx hair and almost never wore color. Everything was just better in black. Some of the jocks teased him for being ‘punk rock’ but that was their mistake. Maybe he dressed like one, but Cas was all about the classics. 

Parties were dumb. The music sucked, drunk people drove him crazy, and he wouldn’t be here if Charlie wasn’t a damn social butterfly who demanded that he have high school experiences. She let him complain while they dressed but told him to shut up and suck it up the second they arrived. _This is going to be a long night._

A few hours - and drinks - later, Cas was already annoyed with the damn football team. “Ugh, the jocks are drunk.” Cas groaned, glancing over by the beer pong table. 

Charlie looked over with a shrug. “Of course they are. They live for this shit.” She chuckled at Dean who was celebrating with some dumb dance after he made a shot.

“They’re all so damn typical.” Cas took a long drink from his red cup, eyeing the idiots like their stupidity was contagious. 

“Not all of them. Dean isn’t like the rest,” Charlie stated after she polished off her cup, and bless her for actually believing it.

“Is that so?” Cas nodded over to where Dean was wrestling with Michael again and forced his eyes away.

Charlie sighed. “He’s still a dude. A dude that plays a sport. Of course he has moments, but he’s a genuine person, Cas. It’s just different, trust me. _He’s_ different. Probably because he’s pan.”

Cas choked on his beer and looked over at her with wide eyes. “What?”

“He’s pan. You remember Lee from last year? They dated for a couple months and broke up over the summer before he moved away to Texas. He’s been out for like a year - you seriously didn’t know?” Charlie looked at him like it was unbelievable, but how would he know? Jocks are almost _always_ womanizers, and Dean had never shown any signs that he was any different. Not that Cas watched him very closely. 

“How would I know? I’ve never even spoken to him.” _And why would I? He’s never even tried to speak to me._

She shrugged and took a drink. “Everyone knows. I thought you did, too. You’re really shocked, huh?”

_Yes._ “No… I mean yeah, but I don’t care either way.” _Why would I care? It has nothing to do with me._

She gave that knowing look she gives when she has something to say but won’t say it. “Not all jocks are the same, Cas.”

And maybe they weren't... maybe it wasn’t fair to lump them all into one box, especially whe- Dean smacked a girl's ass. _Of course he did._

The rest of the night was more of the same, except a few hours later, Dean disappeared with that girl. Cas couldn’t help but be disappointed. He kinda hoped to see Dean with a guy. Don’t ask why, don’t look too deep into it… Cas wasn’t about to.

“Five-Oh!!” Someone yelled and everyone scattered like a bunch of antelope in the Lion King.

Charlie pulled on his arm just as John Winchester walked in the door. “Alright kids, break it up! Go home before I call your parents. Michael Daniels!” He barked out in his booming voice. “Where’s my son?” 

Unfortunately, that was all Cas got because Charlie had managed to get him out the backdoor and to the street before he got to find out where Dean was. 

He planned to stay at Charlie’s that night, which was good, because he’d had one too many drinks to be going home to his family. His parents were pretty laid back but they wouldn’t appreciate him coming home tipsy, and there was no way his brother wouldn’t snitch him out just to laugh at him. 

Charlie’s house was nice… for this side of town. It was just her and her aunt there, and she had been looking for a job to help out financially. The selfish part of Cas hoped she wouldn’t find one too soon. Who would he talk to all day? Surely not Kevin. He wasn’t interested in much outside of school, and he’d only gotten worse each year closer to college.

“Hey, Charlie?” Cas called out from her floor. “Think Dean’s in trouble? He was pretty drunk.”

She huffed a laugh. “Probably, but I’m sure he won’t be in trouble for long. He was definitely upstairs getting laid though.” 

_Not something I want to picture._ “How can you like both? Or… all? I’m not sure what pan is, honestly.”

“It means he doesn’t care about gender or gender identity. He doesn’t care what your biological sex is, he cares about who you are as a person.”

_Is this some fancy label for him to justify sleeping around?_ “So, he basically will fuck anything and anyone?”

“No.” Charlie sat up and leaned over to see him. “He has to have a connection with you first, he has to be attracted. He just cares more about the inside than what’s between your legs. ‘Hearts not parts’, that’s their motto.” 

“But has he fucked _that_ many people? How would he know he’s sexually attracted to something unless he’s fucked that type of person?” _Why am I even asking this? There is no way I’m pan._

But the truth was, Castiel had no idea what he was. He’d kissed a few girls and he… enjoyed it. He’d expected to like it _more_ \- if he was being honest - but it was still nice to experience. 

“You lost me. I think you’re overthinking it. You can like more than one thing. Look at it this way, some people prefer cake. Some prefer pie. Some people like both. And then some people like both _and_ cookies _and_ ice cream. Is this making sense? Maybe I shouldn’t have used desserts.”

Cas laughed, “No actually, that helped.” _You can be attracted to someone, and not actually fuck them. That makes sense. I’m attracted to Dean… but I wouldn’t actually have sex with him. He doesn’t even know I exist… and even if he did..._

“Good, so you can like _all_ those things, but not feel as though you _have_ to try every single flavor, right?” 

“Right. Dean likes all desserts, but hasn’t fucked them all. Got it.”

“I mean, he has fucked a lot of them, but yes, he likes all sweet things. He just happens to prefer pie.” Charlie laid back down. “Good night, Cas.”

“Good night, Char.” _So, Dean prefers pie. I wonder which of those metaphoric desserts stood for dudes…_

He’d be lying if he said Dean wasn’t obnoxiously attractive. Anyone with eyes could see that, it didn’t make Cas gay for noticing it… right?

**Dean**

“What were you thinking? Did you have to get _this_ drunk, Dean?” John stood over him with that I’m-not-mad-I’m-disappointed face. 

“M’sorry. I was playin’ beer pong and kinda lost count. It won’t happen again, sir.” He looked down at his hands and sighed. 

“Better not. I get it, I played football too, son. I know the parties are all a part of the lifestyle, but you gotta be smart. One of my colleagues shows up next time, I’m letting them take you to the drunk tank.”

Dean’s eyes shot up, searching his father’s for any sign he was bluffing. He wasn’t. “Shit… okay, I’ll be more careful.”

“Damn straight. Go to bed.” 

Dean nodded and stood up, making his way to his bedroom. 

“Hey, son, what were you doing with that girl? Are you using protection?”

“Always, Pop. I’m uh… almost out though.” _Shit, maybe this wasn’t the time._ It wasn’t even worth it, the girl only wanted to sleep with him to say she did, and he was drunk enough to go along with it. 

John scoffed and shook his head. “I’ll get more, but slow your damn roll. It’s your last year of high school, last thing you need is to knock up some cheerleader. Stay focused on the game, scouts are watching.”

“Yes, sir. I’ll slow down with chicks.” _Not really in the mood for ‘em anyway, not that ima tell you that. “_ Good night.”

“Good night, Dean.”

_That shit coulda been a lot worse. Probably helps that I’m almost eighteen._ Dean stripped down to his boxers and considered taking a shower, but he was much too drunk for that. He changed his underwear and climbed into bed, quickly falling asleep. 

When he woke up, he laid there awhile, trying to piece together that weird ass dream he’d just had. Was it a wolf? Some kinda dog? He couldn’t remember, he just remembered he was supposed to follow it… and it had these crazy blue eyes.


	2. Workin’ On Mysteries Without Any Clues

**Castiel**

“Cas!” Charlie shook him awake and laughed when he flinched. “What kind of dream were you having?”

He tried to recall it but it was slipping away quickly. All he could really remember was the color green and feeling incredible, which was evident by the half-chub barely concealed by his blanket. “I don’t think you want to know the answer to that question.”

“Eww. No wanking it in my bathroom. Aunt Dot made breakfast and I’m starving.” She stood up and giggled at the bulge. “Was it someone we know or someone famous? Wait! Clowns or midgets?”

Cas rolled his eyes as he stood up and made his way toward the door. “You should know me better than that. It was a midget with giant feet and a red nose,” Cas almost said _dude with giant feet_ and embarrassed the hell out of himself, but he was relieved he caught that slip as he shut himself inside her bathroom to pee. _That was a weird thought._

Once he was all washed up, he made his way out to the kitchen, happy to have a real breakfast before school. He normally woke up too late and had to grab something on the go, but this smelled amazing.

“Hello, Cas.” Charlie’s aunt smiled warmly. “Hope you’re hungry.”

He nodded, taking a seat and scooting in. “It smells incredible, and yes... I’m starving. Thank you.”

She served the food and Cas was nearly salivating when he took the first bite, a little annoyed that he needed to rush through it so they wouldn’t be late for school.

“Bomb, right?” Charlie nodded and took a huge bite. “We should just skip school and watch Lord of the Rings.”

Aunt Dot shushed her and gave her a look that told them both that wouldn’t be happening. “I’m going to work, you two better go to school.” She waved as she shut the front door.

“Party pooper,” Charlie joked.

He was actually incredibly tempted to skip school, but he’d never done it before and didn’t have the balls to start now. “Let’s go, we don’t want to be late.” Cas wolfed down the rest of his food and grabbed his book bag, opening the door for Charlie.

Cas was happy she always had good music and riding with the windows down was a given. Fall weather had just begun so they needed to enjoy the warmth while they could. Night Moves started just as they parked in the student lot and they decided to wait the song out before heading inside.

To Cas’ surprise, Dean pulled up right next to them in his shiny black Impala and jumped out before Charlie lowered the music. “Seger?! Really, Chuckles?” He grinned, leaning inside of Cas’ window. 

“You love it, shut it.” Charlie grinned and they simultaneously started singing.

_“To the backroom, to the alley, or the trusty woods. I used her, she used me, but neither one cared. We were gettin’ our share. Workin’ on our night moves. Tryin’ to lose the awkward teenage blues…”_ Dean started dancing, not caring who was laughing at him and it was actually pretty endearing.

Jocks _always_ cared about how they looked and shied away from fun to be cool; but apparently Dean didn’t. 

_“Waited on the thunder!”_ Dean sang loudly and then made a loud _wooo_ sound, slapping a heavy hand on Charlie’s poor hood. “Man, just made my whole day, see you guys in class.” He winked at Cas and walked away as the bell rang.

_Saved by the bell._ Cas got out of the car and rushed to class, there wasn’t time to think about Dean… or that wink.

The rest of the week was more of the same. Classes, annoying jocks, homework, repeat. Cas couldn’t wait for after high school. That would be when the fun really began… he hoped.

Another annoying thing was his ability to suddenly find Dean - no matter how crowded the room was. He didn’t know why, but he somehow stood out in the sea of hormones, regardless of what he was doing. Sometimes, he was just sitting there doing homework or stuffing his face like he might never see food again. Cas wasn’t even looking for him, his eyes just somehow found him.

He couldn’t wait until Saturday. No jocks, no school, no Dean.

**Dean**

For Dean, Saturday was hardly any different than a Wednesday. There wasn’t school - obviously - but he was still surrounded by idiots.

“Cole, seriously? It’s 1pm.” Dean checked out his best friend. _Is he drunk?_

“I’m fine, _Mom._ Plus, I’m eighteen now, dipshit.” Cole mumbled, hardly able to keep his eyes open. 

_Not alcohol. Fuck!_ “Dammit. What did you take? Pills again?”

Cole released a long frustrated sigh and tried to sit up straighter. “Not pills… well… it was _a_ pill.”

“What the fuck?” Dean leaned in and grabbed his face, checking out his pupils. “What the fuck!” He repeated, “you forgetting my dad is a fucking cop? Did you bring that shit here?”

“Loosen your panties, Deanna.” Cole joked, “there’s nothing here, it’s all in here.” He pointed at his head and smiled.

“You’re a fucking moron. We all know my dick wouldn’t fit in any panties,” _I’ve tried… Why am I stuck with this bitch again?_ Dean pulled Cole up and half carried him to the spare room. He tossed him on the bed, got him water and demanded he sleep it off. “My dad will be home in a few hours, get fucking sober or leave before then. Lock it up, Thirty.” 

That might have come out harsher than Dean intended, but this wasn’t a joke, and it definitely wasn’t a time to sugar coat. 

He picked up his phone and called Danny. He wasn’t a drug dealer by any means, but he was always the one with the pills.

“Sup, Winchester.”

_Douchebag voice._ “What did you give him?”

Danny scoffed, “give who?” 

Dean could hear he was smiling. “Don’t fuck with me, bitch. What did you give him?” _Why did I even call his ass, I should have known he’d never give a straight answer._

“Hey, I’m your captain, receiver. You should talk to me with r-”

_This mother fu-_ “If you say _respect,_ I will go to your house and punch your bitchass face. Got it?! Tell me what he took so _I_ can make sure he doesn’t fucking die in my goddamn guest room.” Dean stated through gritted teeth as he paced his living room, torn between throwing his phone and actually running across town just to punch Danny. “And you’re a _co-_ captain, basically an assistant _to the_ regional manager, _Dwight.”_

Danny laughed obnoxiously. “Well, you’re not Michael Scott, so I definitely don’t answer to you. He’ll sleep it off.” _Click._

“Fucking asshole!” Dean tossed his phone, and hoped he didn’t crack his screen, but he was too angry to care.

Cole ended up sobering enough before John got home. Dean forced him in the shower after a long nap and got him looking human and on the couch before John walked in with pizzas. “Hey Cole. You didn’t come over last night.” 

_He did, it was just 3am, and you were asleep._

“Yeah, I tried to stay at my mom’s but… her boyfriend is there right now so I was hoping I could stay here tonight… if that’s okay.” John would never turn Cole away. He knew his mom’s boyfriend was an abusive asshole and had offered for Cole to move in more times than either of them could count. 

“Course it is, son. You guys should have one of those movie nights you used to have.” He set the boxes down. “Dig in.” 

Dean made his way over and put multiple pieces on two paper plates, bringing Cole some so he didn’t have to attempt to walk. “Actually, Dad, we’re gonna hang at Benny’s tonight, but we’ll be home by midnight.”

“Another party?” John asked with a sigh.

_God, I hope not._ “No, just us, Ben and maybe Zach. Not a party, just hangin’ out.” 

“Alright. Midnight, Dean. And no alcohol.”

“Yes, sir.” _Not in the mood to drink anyway._

“Eat first. I’m going to shower and I’ll make breakfast in the morning.”

“Sounds good, thanks Pop.” Dean plopped down and dug in.

After they were at Benny’s for about thirty minutes, Dean was already wishing he was at home. A movie night actually sounded much more appealing than this shit, but at least he could play video games here and pretend to be into something. A few more people came than he anticipated, but it still wasn’t _technically_ a party and once Benny pulled out Mario Kart shit got fun. 

Dean was the champ and after challenging everyone there to a match he set the controller aside with a grin. “How about all you losers pitch in and buy me some pie.”

“Fuck you, you’re in my house, Chere.” Benny walked over and put Dean in a headlock. They wrestled until one of them spilled a beer all over the carpet and then they all banded together to clean the mess. They always did come together when it mattered. 

**Castiel**

Cas never did care much about his birthday, but when his parents woke him up to breakfast and cupcakes, it was kind of hard to ignore. _Finally 18. Maybe I should look for work?_ He chuckled, because he definitely wasn’t about to mess up his GPA getting some minimum wage job. 

They practically demanded he take the cupcakes to school for his friends, ignoring him when he told them he didn’t need that many - because he didn’t have that many friends - but he figured he’d just give some away as charity.

He’d fully expected the couple of friends he did have to forget what day it was, but Cas should’ve known better than to underestimate Charlie. When he went to put his book bag away, he could barely get to his locker thanks to the streamers and inappropriate birthday cards plastered to the front. 

Smiling to himself, Cas removed the one covering the combination lock and stuffed his books inside, laughing to himself when confetti fell out all over his shoes. “Damnit, Charlie.”

Charlie came up behind him, blowing one of those annoying party favors in his ear. The papery material hit him in the side of the head and he turned to swat it away, laughing. “You’re an assbutt.” 

She pulled him into a hug and yelled out, “Happy birthday!” making a few people look their way.

He blushed and rolled his eyes, squeezing her quickly and letting go. “Thanks for that, I think there were still three or four people in the entire school that hadn’t seen the locker.”

“You’re very welcome! Hi, Dean.” Cas turned around and flushed even darker as Dean walked up. 

“Hey... Cas.” He pointed at him, looking proud of himself for actually remembering Cas’ name. “Happy birthday.”

Cas smiled, trying to hide his embarrassment. “Interesting, I didn’t know football players could read,” he joked. He immediately felt bad, so he held out the container of cupcakes. “Would you like one?”

Dean placed a hand on his chest and pretended to be offended. “Ouch. Yeah, I learned last year, thank you very much. Hell yeah, I wanna cupcake.”

He was both surprised and pleased that Dean played along, any other jock would’ve stuck his head in a toilet for something like that. Cas held the container closer, letting Dean grab one and decided to see how far his seemingly good nature went. “Why do I feel like your teachers will be angry with me for giving you sugar so early in the morning?”

“Is that you granting me permission to blame you? Cause, thanks.” Dean peeled off the paper and shoved half of it in his mouth, ignoring the crumbs that fell down his shirt.

Cas rolled his eyes again and snapped the lid back on. “You can blame me all you want, they’ll never believe you.”

“He’s right, Cas is an angel,” Charlie piped up. Cas grinned at her, almost having forgotten she was even there.

“I can tell.” Dean winked and walked away, turning back to yell, “thanks for feeding me!” and shoving the rest of the cupcake in his mouth.

Cas licked his lips and turned to Charlie. “That was strange.”

“He is strange, huh? Probably why we get along.” She joked and interlocked their arms. “You see how much cupcake fit in his mouth? That’s skill.”

For some reason, Cas’ mind took a very dirty turn at the prospect of things that could fit in Dean’s mouth, which was... bizarre. _This has been the weirdest day and school hasn’t even officially started yet. I need a nap._

He sighed, heading toward homeroom with her. “I wasn’t aware that eating sweets like an animal was considered a skill, but... good for him. I suppose we all need to be good at something.” He grinned, setting the container down on his desk and looking around to see if there was anyone else he could give one to.

Charlie eyed him a few moments and then finally looked away with a weird smirk. “So Cas, see any hot chicks this year you’re interested in?”

The question caught him off guard, and his eyes darted around the room for someone he could say. No one jumped out at him so he sighed, shaking his head. “Not really, no. I don’t pay much attention to the people at this school anyway.”

“What happened with April? I know she doesn’t go to this school but you guys kissed right?” She kept her hands busy with her binder but he could tell he unfortunately had all of her attention. 

“Yes, we did. She decided I wasn’t really her type, and I wasn’t exactly upset about it.” Cas picked at a cupcake to distract himself, breaking off tiny pieces and chewing slowly. “I’m not exactly a stranger to being single.”

Charlie grabbed a cupcake and held it out to cheers. “Forever alone squad,” she joked, and Cas feared she was right.


	3. Young and Restless and Bored

**Dean**

Dean was excited as hell for homecoming. The football season started - which was definitely the best part of high school - and homecoming was just another excuse to eat, sleep, and breathe football. Then there was the dance and the after party, and those were always a great time. He’d played football since freshman year, so he’d always been invited to all the cool shit. 

Unfortunately, Coach Sonny had been kicking their _asses._ He didn’t care that they won the season opener, he was determined to be undefeated. “What’s wrong with you boys? You look like you just got done fighting a war. How are you supposed to keep up with the Knights if you can’t even handle a few two-a-days?” 

“We’re tired, coach.” Danny spoke up, and for once, Dean didn’t want to punch him in the mouth.

“Tired, huh? What about the rest of you, you all tired?” He braced his hands on his hips and took them in. Dean could see he wanted to push further, but he must have seen _something_ on their faces, because he decided to take it easy. “Fine, get some rest. But don’t think for one moment those Knights are going to take it easy on you this Friday. We have two days to get ready, so **be** ready. Hit the showers.” He waved them off - after poking Dean between the 1’s on his jersey - and they were all fucking grateful to be free. One more bleacher run, and Dean would have absolutely puked his lunch all over the field. 

In class the following day, Dean got paired with Cas in chemistry. He knew the kid was smart - at least smarter than him - so he wasn’t worried about the project; he was more worried about the awkwardness. 

They _had_ a mutual friend, but that didn’t make _them_ friends, right? Or did it? Dean kinda hoped it did. He was intrigued by the disheveled, blue eyed, mystery boy, sue him. “You, uh… goin’ to the game?” Dean plopped down in the seat next to him with a groan, his entire body ached from that practice. 

Cas glanced over at him like he was surprised by the small talk and then sat up straighter. “Possibly. Why?”

_Why? Because I’m makin’ conversation, asshat. Humor me._ “Just wondering. I know Charlie has been working hard on decorations and shit for the dance, but I wasn’t sure if she would make the game.”

“Do you want her to make the game?” Cas tilted his head when he asked and Dean smiled at it without realizing. _Weird question._

“Well… yeah. She’s one of my best friends.” The teacher placed the signup sheet in front of them and asked them which project they would prefer. “What’s that candy one?” Dean asked. 

Cas chuckled and wrote it down, glancing over at Dean with a look he couldn’t pinpoint. “It’s called Candy Chromatography. Chromatography is one of the most widely used methods for separating a mixture of chemicals. It should be able to separate an existing dye in the coatings and reveal hidden dyes. So in the end, we should know if the dyes in either Skittles or M&M’s are pure or if they are a mixture of two or more other dyes.” 

_Okay, yeah… much smarter than me._ “Yeah, let’s do that one. I focus much better when there is food.” Dean smiled innocently at Cas and then looked back down at their book. Sometimes he had no clue how he ended up in this ‘smart kid’ class, but now that he knew how smart Cas was, maybe things would get easier. He wouldn’t mind being Cas’ partner again one day.

“I think M&M’s were used in a study I read before, but we can also try Skittles. I think it would be best if we tried both and then wrote our paper on whichever one was more interesting.” 

_Interesting? This is supposed to be interesting?_ “Can we use the peanut butter M&M’s? Those are awesome.” 

“Dean, this isn’t about what tastes the best. We should use the plain ones for the best reading, especially if we are comparing them to Skittles.” Cas looked over and their eyes locked. For a moment, neither of them moved. Dean had no clue why _or_ what either of them were thinking, but it was almost as if everything disappeared. The moment passed as quickly as it began when Cas cleared his throat and looked down again. “We’ll get the peanut butter ones as a snack, deal?”

_He’s kinda bossy._ “Deal.” Dean’s gaze lingered on Cas’ face a few seconds before he looked out the window, hoping that by the end of this project, they would be _actual_ friends. 

—————

The Homecoming game went exceptionally well. Dean got two touchdowns, and the Lebanon Hellhounds won by a whopping twenty points. Coach must have been pleased, because he didn’t even give them the ‘ _no drinking’_ speech after the game, and that was a first. 

Dean was so fucking happy, the moment he saw Charlie and Cas, he didn’t even hesitate to run up to pull them both in for a hug. _At least I showered first._ “Glad you both made the game. Hey, Cas.” He let them go and checked out their school pride outfits. He’d honestly never seen Cas in color. 

“She made me.” Cas looked at him and did that friggin head tilt. “Thought you sucked at names?”

“Uh, I do. But we’re partners now, remember?” Dean met his eyes again and nearly lost himself in the sea of blue.

Charlie chuckled. “Yeah, Dean _suuuucks_ at names, that’s why he calls everyone by a nickname.” 

“Oh, I haven’t noticed.” Cas shrugged and looked down at his phone. 

“Cas is already a nickname. Should be easy enough to remember.” _Those eyes help too._ “See you guys at the party tomorrow? Or just doin’ the dance?” For some reason, he hoped they would be at the party. He had no intentions on going to that dumb dance.

“Yup. I’m dragging Cas to both _and_ he is going to drink at the party, huh?” She nudged him playfully, earning herself an epic eye roll. 

“Yes, Charlie. But no tequila.” He pointed a long, threatening finger. _There’s a story there._

“What’s wrong with tequila?” Dean asked with an amused expression, he was even more intrigued when Cas actually blushed. _C’mon, tell me._

“Nothing. Charlie, we have that thing, remember?” Cas pulled her arm away. “See you later, Dean.”

_Bullshit._ Dean couldn’t wipe the idiotic grin off his face. “Fine, but you’ll tell me that story one day.” He called out as he backpedalled towards his teammates. _One day._

**Castiel**

They didn’t last long at the dance. The decorations were superb, but it was boring. Especially when all the “cool kids” skipped it all together for that party. After thirty minutes, Charlie was pulling Cas’ arm back toward her car. “Let’s go have some real fun.” _Right… fun._

The music could be heard a block away, but on the high class side of town, no one would complain. Cas wasn’t sure which football player’s house this was, but whoever it was, their parents were loaded. The walkway to the house alone was larger than his front yard and Cas thought _his_ neighborhood was rich. It didn’t even compare to this.

They made their way inside around 9:30pm, and the party was already in full swing. People were drunk and probably having the time of their lives, but Cas still cringed. “People are idiots, Charlie.” Cas turned towards his friend and realized he was alone. “Oh, great. So glad I came.” he rolled his eyes, and against his better judgement, he went to get a beer. 

As luck would have it, Dean was in the kitchen talking to some cheerleader… drunk. 

“Hey look, it’s my candy partner. How's it doing? Going… how are you going? Dammit, you know what I mean.” He walked away from the girl he was talking to without a look back and made his way into Cas’ space. 

“Dean… you’re drunk. Personal space?” Cas had to fight back a small smile. As annoying as drunk people normally were, Dean was once again endearing. _How does anyone look that damn handsome all the damn time?_

“M’sorry.” He took a step back and rubbed the back of his neck. “M’not _that_ drunk. Just like a small amount of drunk.”

“A small amount? What are we using as measurements, Dean? Actual liquid? Or are we going full American and using random items to explain something more complicated than necessary?” Cas was full on grinning now.

“Skittles.” Dean smiled in a way that showed he was proud of himself. 

“Skittles?” Cas opened a beer and poured it slowly into a red cup. “Fine, I’ll bite, how many Skittles drunk are you?”

“Like a regular size bag. Fun size being sober and king size being hammered. M’like a regular size bag. I can show you.”

It oddly made sense, which was surprising - drunk logic rarely made sense. “Can you? How?” 

“I’ll be right back, just gotta find someone sober enough to drive. Because I’m like three Skittles too drunk to drive.” He winked and wandered off.

Cas wasn’t sure what to think about that conversation, but Dean seemed genuinely excited. It definitely wasn’t a conversation he expected to have with Dean - or anyone for that matter. It was probably their first actual conversation that wasn’t about school or football or anything really, but at least it was entertaining. 

He had no clue what to expect from Dean and after about ten minutes, he realized he shouldn’t have expected anything. Dean was drunk, he probably completely forgot they even spoke. With the bitchiest eye roll Cas could muster, he left the kitchen and explored the ridiculously giant house. Charlie was in the middle of a beer pong match against two football players, but Cas didn’t care to watch. He offered her a “kick their ass” and then made his way towards the hallway. 

Aside from a few couples making out, it was rather quiet down that hallway, so Cas went deeper. He was happy he did, because he stumbled across a home theater and instantly knew where he would be hiding the rest of the night. 

Return of the Jedi was on, and although Cas preferred A New Hope, he was happy it was at least one from the best set. “Too bad I don’t have popcorn.” He mumbled to himself. 

“Dunno about popcorn, but I got candy.” Cas nearly jumped out of his seat at Dean’s voice and sure enough, when he looked over at him, his hands were full of candy. “Didn’t mean to scare you. Are you hiding in here?”

“Maybe…” Cas patted the seat next to him, because candy sounded much better than his room temperature beer.

Dean grinned and made his way over, sitting down with a plop and dropping the candy on the seat between them. “Okay, so I got some of the plain M&M’s and Skittles like you said for when we actually do our project, but I also got all the other ones for us to snack on. They didn’t have the regular size bag of Skittles so we had to go with king size.”

“You sound… less drunk. How many Skittles now?” Cas asked as he grabbed the bag of peanut butter M&M’s. 

“I like your style, Novak.” Dean reached out his hand and Cas opened the bag to hold it for him. “I’m still like one Skittle too drunk to drive, but I also got some Taco Bell, and that shit is made to soak up alcohol. It’s science.”

Cas chuckled at how wrong that was and then suddenly realized how _right_ it was. In a way, that _was_ science. “Well, good. Please tell me you know what movie this is.”

“Pfft! It’s no New Hope, but it’s still one of the best.”

Cas was once again pleasantly surprised by Dean Winchester. 

The night got decidedly better after that. They both ate way too much candy and argued over episodes 1-3, and also about the damn dark side, but Cas ended up having more fun than he ever had at a party. Neither of them drank anything beyond water because they didn’t need to. Their nerdy Star Wars conversation was entertainment enough... for both of them.

“Alright, would you rather be a Jedi or a Wizard?” Dean asked with a mouthful of Skittles.

Cas considered that for a moment. “Wizard. Being a Jedi comes with too much responsibility.”

Dean’s eyes widened and he swallowed his candy. “Fucking same for the exact same reason. Don’t want none of that responsibility. I don’t even wanna be team captain.”

“Really?” Cas grinned at him. “I figured you’d want to be able to boss the others around.”

“Nah, football players are idiots. Don’t want to be liable for any of them asshats - just myself.” Dean grabbed more candy and filled his mouth.

Dean was quickly becoming one of the strangest people he’d ever met. At every turn, Cas had been wrong about him. “Okay. If you _were_ a wizard, which spell would you learn first?”

“Pfft! Accio, 100%. Could you imagine being able to make shit come to you? Man, I’d be so lazy.” He chuckled, “what about you?”

Cas laughed quietly, leaning back in his seat. “You know, I hadn’t even considered that. You make a very good point. I’d have picked something like the Patronus Charm. I know Dementors don’t actually exist, but if they make you feel happy anyway, it would be a handy thing to have around. Not to mention, I feel like a Patronus would be a little bit like a Pokémon, and who doesn’t want one of those?”

“You have a point there. I wouldn’t pick it because I can’t think of a memory _that_ happy. I mean good things happen all the time, but none of them seem like enough to cast a Patronus.”

“I think you’re thinking about it wrong. It doesn’t have to be a happy memory from start to finish, it just has to be a moment - a single moment - where you felt real joy. At least, that’s the way I see it.” Cas studied Dean out of the corner of his eye, his chest aching a little at the thought of Dean not having any happy memories. “Maybe if I ever wake up as a wizard and manage to pull off the spell, I’ll send my Patronus your way.” _They don’t just work for the user._

“Aw, you’d send me happiness? And all I brought was candy.” Dean looked over and met his eyes. “I’d come over and Accio all your crap for you.”

Cas huffed a laugh and reached over to steal some of that candy. “See? We make an… _unconventional_... but perfect team.” He watched Dean’s face light up, and Cas was surprised to find he actually believed it.


	4. Trusty Woods

**Dean**

Turned out that the project was much harder than anticipated. Dean was never known for having a gentle hand, and when it came to measuring shit for science, he was horrible. Cas had the softest hands he’d ever felt - not that he was paying attention to that - and he measured the liquids like a pro. 

“Dean, just let me do it.” Cas exclaimed after he over-poured once again. “The measurements are exact. We can’t have more than 15ml of vinegar.”

“This shit stinks, and what the hell is the yarn for again?” He wiped his hands off on a paper towel. 

Cas sighed and rolled his eyes. “Did you read it at _all_?”

_No._ “Duh… just you know… remind me?” Dean averted his gaze and attempted to look distracted. 

“You got real wool, right?” He asked in a doubtful tone. 

“Yes. I followed your grocery list, Cas. I can follow directions.”

Cas rolled his eyes again. “Fine, you want directions? Just sit there and look pretty.”

“Aww… you think I’m pretty?” Dean leaned in, feeling like this just got much more interesting. _Was that a blush?_

“No. It’s an expression, Dean.”

“I know it is… but there were a lot of expressions you could have used. And you chose to call me pretty.” _Definitely a blush._ He was teasing, but seeing Cas actually flustered made it fun.

“I’m trying to concentrate, assbutt.”

“Assbutt? God, you’re adorable.” _What? Okay, that slipped._ It was Dean’s turn to blush, but Cas was still hogging all the blushing so Dean got up and walked over to wash the vinegar off his hands. 

They quickly changed the subject, neither one of them ready to touch _that_ one with a 39 ½ foot pole. The candy project turned out to be much more boring than Dean envisaged, but he let Cas take the reins and watched him step by step. In the end, he still didn’t understand it all, but at least he found his new lab partner.

Now that it was done, they technically didn’t have a reason to hang out anymore, but Dean kept finding ways to talk to Cas. It wasn’t on purpose but he couldn’t help it, he liked the guy. 

He began spotting Cas _everywhere_ and those damned blue eyes shone brighter than anything around them. His messy hair made Dean constantly have to fight the urge to run his fingers through it and he was sure Cas wouldn’t appreciate that. Dean may not be in the closet, but he quickly got the vibe that Cas was, and the last thing he would ever do is pressure him. 

At school, sometimes Dean was sure Cas was avoiding him. But he never could avoid him during class so Dean would take that as an opportunity to get to know him. He’d start a conversation about anything and everything, and Cas would always oblige, but when they saw each other in the hallway or at lunch, Cas would only offer Dean a simple wave. 

He got it, of course Cas didn’t like Dean’s friends, they were annoying. Being in the closet had to be hard, and being seen with someone who was completely out probably made it harder to hide who he was. He got it... he just didn’t particularly like it.

One day, when Cas was sitting alone at lunch, Dean took it as an opportunity. He told his friends he’d see them later and slid in the chair across from him, a huge grin on his face. “Hi.”

Those electric blue eyes flashed up to his. “Hello, Dean. Um... sure, have a seat.”

“Thanks. So... what ya readin’?” Dean looked down at his worn book and nodded.

“The Great Gatsby.” He smiled lightly, flipping it over and running his thumb over the cracked spine. “I’ve lost count how many times I’ve read it. Have you?”

“Nope. Should I? Wait- isn’t that a movie now?” Dean took a bite of food and pulled it closer to check out the cover.

“Yes, but... I don’t personally recommend it... despite Leonardo DiCaprio’s good looks.” He blushed the second he said it, then cleared his throat. “Not that I think he’s good looking.”

Dean grinned, “nah... I mean he is. If you like blonds. I prefer brunettes.”

Cas pulled the book back toward himself with a look that was half offense, half intrigue... which was difficult to pull off. “Read the book, it’ll do you some good.”

“Yes, sir.” Dean finished eating and then held out his hand, “let me see your phone really fast.”

Hesitantly, Cas handed it over but watched him like a hawk. “What are you doing?”

Dean didn’t answer. He pulled up Cas’ Spotify and searched for his ‘Dean’s Top Seger Traxx’ playlist, then slid it back over. “I’ll read your book, you listen to that. Deal?”

“What?” Cas looked it over quickly and nodded. “Deal... I think I can handle that.”

“Good. See you around, _Leo.”_ He winked and clicked his tongue at Cas’ blush and walked away. 

Those small moments with Cas didn’t help Dean’s crush in the slightest, but he still couldn’t stay away. In fact, the crush got so ridiculous that Dean had to _force_ himself to go on a date. Bela had clung to him for years after their one night stand sophomore year, and although he knew better, he still asked her out. He instantly hated himself for it, and even more when they hooked up again after the movie. He had hoped it would help him move on, but instead all it did was fuel _her_ damn crush on _him_. 

Dean let her down easy, telling her he didn’t want anything serious right now because it was senior year, and she seemed to understand. He felt guilty; he didn’t mean to use her but she was more than willing, and even after he told her the news, she whispered in his ear that he knew where to find her when he wanted to get laid. Last year, the offer of no strings attached sex would have been a godsend, but this year, not so much. He found himself less interested in girls’ skirts and more interested in… well, Cas.

The senior camping trip was almost here, and Dean found himself getting more and more excited about it by the day. His dad went overboard with the camping supplies for him and Cole, but Dean was just happy John wasn’t one of the chaperoning parents. 

When they finally packed up and said their goodbyes, Dean was disappointed that Cas wasn’t on his bus. They went by stupid last names, and he hoped _N_ would be with _W_ , but apparently not. He had a few teammates to sit with, so at least it wasn’t too boring. 

—————

“Why did that stupid tent take so damn long? I’m fucking starving!” Dean complained, rubbing his belly. 

“You’re always hungry.” Cole rolled his eyes. “I might sneak a chick in here later, so don’t look… Or do, I honestly don’t care.”

“Gross, no thanks. Just give me a little warning and I’ll go on a walk or something.” Dean shrugged him off and went to find food. He didn’t know where Cas had set up his tent with Charlie, so it felt like a good time to explore. 

Dean found some trail mix, and after complaining about it “not being food” to everyone who would listen, he finally went on a walk, crunching away. It only took a few moments for him to hear Charlie’s voice, and he was happy they’d seemed to find a good spot to camp. They were struggling with the tent setup, and Dean walked over with a grin. “You guys need help?” 

Cas looked up abruptly at his voice, but played it cool. “Hello, Dean. Yes, please. Charlie is a damn hardhead and didn’t hammer in the spokes or whatever they’re called. I don’t camp, but I feel like the damn tent needs to be secure, right?”

Dean set his bag of food down, rolling his eyes when Charlie snatched it up and started eating it. “Better not kill my snacks. Yeah, you’re right, Cas. Charlie, haven’t you learned _not_ to argue with this guy?” He grabbed a rubber hammer and started nailing in the anchors. 

“Whatever, _he_ should know better than to argue with _me.”_ She joked, earning a 10/10 Novak bitchface. 

“Too much sass in one tent man, shit might implode.” Dean teased as he finished up securing the tent.

“Wow… That was fast.” Cas smiled over at him, surprisingly impressed. 

Dean should be honest, he should say, _I just finished mine and it took a damn hour_ or _It’s much easier a second time_ but instead… “Yeah, I’m awesome.” And earned himself an eye roll. 

He realized he’d much rather hang with Cas and Charlie, so he took a seat and snatched his bag back from her hands. “You guys doing that hike at sunset?”

**Castiel**

Cas watched Dean make his way back toward his tent with a confused look upon his face. “Okay, maybe not _all_ jocks are assholes.”

“Didn’t I tell you?? But nooo,” she rolled her eyes with a grin, “don’t you know not to question a redhead?” 

With a glare, Cas started packing for the hike. “Whatever. He’s just... surprised me, that’s all.” _Like every time I speak to him._

“Yeah, I know.” She eyed him with a knowing look, but before he could ask about it, a teacher walked over to see who they were planning on walking with because the groups have to be four people or more. “Dean and Cole.” Charlie said without hesitation and then smiled as the teacher wrote it down, handing them four whistles and moving on.

“Cole? Why?” He isn’t the _worst_ guy, but far from the best. 

“Because he is sharing a tent with Dean, genius. Come on, let’s go find our partners.” Cas wasn’t sure he wanted to get lost in the damn woods with two jocks. _What if Dean acts different around his damn friends? What if he proves he really is just a dumb jock?_

“What’s up, bitches!” Charlie called out, and Cas pointedly looked away when he saw Dean was shirtless. “We’re hiking partners. You and your flannel were made for the outdoors, Dean.”

He huffed a laugh as he shrugged on a red, long sleeved flannel over a black t-shirt and bent over to tie his boots. “Might have to chop down a tree, Chuckles. Don’t hate.”

“Yes, can we get going, Lumberjack?” Cas teased and met Dean’s eyes. 

The look Dean returned was confusing. _This isn’t the damn time to get confused over looks._ Cas looked down at the map and started discussing their route. 

Thirty minutes later, they were lost. 

Cole was drinking - of course - and acting weird. Guys always got weird with booze and he thought it was a good idea to climb the tree to look for the campsite. 

“Gimme the map, Cas. I have an awesome sense of direction.” Dean reached for it and Cas was too tired, hungry, and annoyed to deal with some superiority bullshit.

“Oh sure, because you can do anything, right?” He shoved him the map and motioned his hand. “Go ahead, hero. Save us.”

Dean’s smile quickly faded and he looked down at the map with a frown. Cas would have felt bad, but again, he needed food for that. He held up the map and looked at the moon, Charlie looped her arm with Cas’, and Cole was still up in the damn tree. Dean cleared his throat, “uh, it says we should make our way that way and we should just walk until we see the bridge but we don’t cross it, we hook left and follow the dirt trail to camp.”

“Got it! It’s to the left guys.” Cole called down and then started his descent. “Knew I’d figure it out.” He landed with a thud and grinned.

“Yeah, what would we do without you and your tree climbing skills?” Dean deadpanned and started walking. 

Cas followed, his mind reeling. Most people would have given him shit for getting flustered or tried to defend themselves after a comment like that - but Dean didn’t. Was he just _that_ fucking confident in himself that he didn’t care how people saw him? And why did Cas just keep getting more confused the more he got to know Dean? _This is frustrating._

Sure enough, they made it back to camp alive and just in time for dinner. Dean didn’t say goodbye, and Cas found himself grumpier about that than getting lost. But why? Why did Cas care?

He went to bed in a mood and he was happy Charlie didn’t question too much. It was weird for her not to pry, but he was thankful all the same. The morning went a little differently. “You wanna talk about it?” She asked, seconds after he finished brushing his teeth. 

“About what?” _No, really. Enlighten me, Charlie. I don’t understand what is going on._

She struggled with words for a few seconds before sighing. “Yesterday. You said like three words after you snapped on Dean for trying to help. I just want to know you’re okay.” 

“I’m fine, I was just exhausted and starving. Today will be better. We have the scavenger hunt, right?”

“Right. But… that paper I signed yesterday was for the weekend. Dean and Cole will be our partners again.”

“Okay, is that a problem for you?” It surprisingly wasn’t for him. He found himself wondering how Dean looked in the mornings and suddenly wanted to go see. 

Charlie seemed pleased enough with that. “Nope. Let’s go wake them up.” 

“They’re probably awake already. The sun came up like twenty minutes ago.” Cas put on his boots and grabbed his cellphone, even though they had no signal. 

“No. Cole was drunk, it got worse after a while. And Dean… he’s a bear in hibernation, he loves sleep. Trust me.” They made their way over to Dean’s tent and sure enough, they were still sleeping. “Told ya.” Charlie walked over and unzipped the tent. “Who wants bacon?” She called out loudly.

Cole groaned and covered his head with a pillow and unfortunately, Cas couldn’t see Dean with Charlie in the way, but he heard him hum and mumble, “bacon” in a voice so thick with sleep that Cas felt bad for waking him. 

“Yes, Dean. Bacon. I bet there isn’t enough for everyone, seems like a first come first serve kinda deal.” Cas heard rustling, chuckling to himself at the fact that _bacon_ was the thing to get Dean out of bed at 6am. “Dean!! Cover your wood!” Charlie ducked out of view with her hands over her eyes and heard Dean laughing inside the tent. 

_Wood? What wood…_

“What kind of wood?” Cas asked, confused. He heard Dean laugh again and Charlie joined in. 

“Oh, Cas. Never change. Morning wood… you know w-” Cas’ eyes widened when it clicked and he turned beet red. _Of course that’s why she acted that way, idiot._ She laughed harder and Dean peeked his head out of the tent, still smiling. 

“You should know better than to peek at a dude just waking up, Charlie. We can’t help it.” He unzipped the entry more and stepped out. His hair was tousled and he was wearing a white shirt and some R2D2 pajama pants with his hand blocking his crotch. “Gotta piss. Be back.” He shrugged on his backpack and made his way to the restrooms. 

Cas wasn’t sure what to think about all that, or about how well they all worked together for the scavenger hunt. Cole was sober, and although he dragged his feet, he wasn’t as bad as Cas expected him to be. 

It wasn’t fair to hate all jocks just because a few were dicks. He had hoped this knowledge would bring more clarity… not confusion. But by the time Cas got home from camping, he was completely and undoubtedly confused. 


	5. With Autumn Closing In

**Dean**

Halloween was always exciting. Zach’s parents let them throw a Halloween party, but everyone had to dress up - rules were rules. Dean decided to go as Harry Potter. It didn’t take long for him to ditch the dumb robe, and some chick stole his wand so by 10pm he just looked like a nerdy accountant. He kept the lensless glasses and Gryffindor tie on, hoping people would get the gist of who he was, and went on enjoying his night. 

After a few rounds of beer pong, he was a whole damn bag of skittles too drunk to have anymore and he stumbled around the house, looking for Cas. He didn’t know why he was looking for Cas. He hadn’t seen him all night, but after their last party, he felt like hiding in the back room again, talking about nerdy shit. It was the most genuine fun he had in a long time. 

“Charlie! What’s up?” Dean put his arm around her and she pushed it off with a giggle.

“Dean! You are hammered!” Her friend was kinda hot. Dean had never seen her before but he realized all too late that they were probably trying to get to know each other, and he definitely just ruined their moment.

He backed up and bumped the wall. “Oops. I’ll just…” He pointed to walk away, but Charlie grabbed his arm with a worried expression. 

“Are you okay? Do you need a ride home?”

“Nah… m’fine. Just lookin’ for Cas. Have you seen him?” Dean scratched the back of his neck and tried to stand up straighter. 

He couldn’t pinpoint the type of smile she had, but it was as if she could see right through him. “He isn’t here tonight. I heard you guys hung out last time.”

_Did Cas tell her? What did he say? Come on Dean, turnin’ into a chick._ “Uh, yeah… I just had a question. No big deal.”

“What question?” She was still grinning.

“What?” 

She laughed that time and then repeated herself. “You said you had a question. Maybe I can help, what’s the question?”

“Oh uh, nothin’ not a big deal, I’ll ask him tomorrow… or Monday... or what’s today?” This wasn’t going well, but at least Charlie looked entertained. 

“It’s Thursday. We have school tomorrow, but I don’t think you will be there.” She told her friend she would be right back and steered Dean down a hallway. “Where do you normally stay when you sleep here?”

“The guest room. A few of us stay in there.” 

“Okay, show me. Then I’ll go get you some water.”

“Nah, m’fine Charlie.” But he let her lead him anyway, because laying down actually sounded like it would feel good. “Can I have Cas’ number?’ Dean pulled his phone out and handed it to her.

She took it, but shoved it in her pocket. “Maybe. I have to ask him first. I can't just give out his number without permission.” 

He knew she was right, but that didn’t stop his pout. They found the guest room, and Cole was already passed out on the floor. Dean checked his breathing and then collapsed on the bed with a thud. “M’kay.” He mumbled and rolled onto his side.

He didn't even realize he had fallen asleep until Charlie was back, making him drink some water. “I called Cas. He’s awake, and he said you can have his number. I already put it in your phone. You should pick a more complicated passcode. 1-2-3-4 is amature hour.”

Dean chuckled and took a drink. “It’s blurry, call him for me.”

She sighed but did as he asked. “I’ll check on you in a bit.” Charlie made her exit as the phone began to ring, and ordinarily Dean would probably have been nervous to call Cas for the first time, but he was too drunk to care. 

Cas answered the phone, sounding tired but awake enough. “Hello, Dean.”

“How’d you know it was me?” Dean grinned.

“Because Charlie asked me if you could have my number about three minutes ago, and now my phone is ringing. It was an educated guess. You’re drunk.”

“Me? Nah. Just a lil bored without you here.”

Cas paused a beat. “Why? I’m not fun.”

“Yeah, you are. No one else understands my love of nerdy shit. I can actually talk to you.” Sober Dean would have never admitted that. 

“Oh.” Cas seemed as though he didn't know how to take that. “Well, everyone should have someone to talk to, but you _are_ drunk. I can tell. How many skittles, Dean? Be honest.”

Dean huffed a laugh and ran a hand down his face. “Nothin’ gets past you, huh? I dunno… like a fun sized bag… and a regular one.”

Cas laughed at that but his tone was serious. “You aren’t drinking anymore, right?”

“Nah, Chuckles cut me off. I’m actually in bed right now.”

“Good. I don't want to get out of bed, but I don't want you to kill yourself.”

“You mean, you’d come here if I needed you?” Dean asked curiously. 

“Possibly, but don't push it. What did you dress up as?”

“Harry Potter. You?”

“No one. I stayed home. Why - never mind.”

Dean was too curious to let that go, “no, ask me. What were you gonna ask?”

Cas chuckled. “I was going to ask you why Harry, but it makes sense. You’re absolutely a Gryffindor.”

“That a bad thing? I thought everyone wanted to be a Gryffindor?”

“Not a bad thing. And yes, most people _want_ to be a Gryffindor, doesn’t mean they are.” He stated matter-of-factly. 

“But I am?”

“Absolutely, yes. I still remember the day you punched that senior back when we were sophomores. Wasn’t he teasing some gay kid?”

“Uh, yeah, he was and I was the gay kid.” Dean laughed at the memory.

“Oh shit, I didn't know, sorry.”

“Don't gotta be sorry, but I made sure he was.” He was actually pretty proud of this memory. “He was just talking shit about gay people and I told him he was stupid, so he called me gay and I punched him. Probably could have handled that much better but I was still coming to terms with what I am.”

“And…” Cas paused again, probably trying to find the right words, “what are you?”

Dean was just glad Cas cared enough to ask. “I’m pansexual. Basically, I don't care what’s between your legs, I care about who you are on the inside.”

“And how is this different than bisexual?”

“Uh... The literal word “Bi” means, two but bisexuality doesn’t necessarily mean that I guess um... I’ve been attracted to _all_ genders. Pansexual can mean bisexual but bisexual can't always mean pansexual... I dunno if I’m explaining it good but I can try again tomorrow when I’m sober because bisexuality is actually more complicated than I can explain right now... there’s also Google which is smarter than me.”

“You actually did clarify it for me, thanks.”

“You’re welcome. Why didn't you come out tonight?” Dean asked curiously. 

“I didn't want to deal with drunk people.” Cas laughed and then sighed. “Guess you don't count.”

“Damn right I don't, cause I’m awesome.” He could feel himself getting sleepy, but he wasn’t ready to hang up yet. “Can I call you sometimes, Cas? Your voice is soothing.” His eyes fluttered closed, and the chance of him remembering most of their conversation was slim. 

“Soothing?” Cas was quiet for much too long, Dean was nearly asleep when he spoke again. “Yes, Dean. you can call me sometimes.” 

“Awesome. If you find my skittles, feed them to me.” 

Cas’ hushed laugh woke him up slightly, but Dean couldn’t remember what he said. “Sure, Dean. Get some sleep.”

Dean didn't respond. He was asleep in seconds and didn't move a muscle the entire night. When he woke up, the phone was still on his cheek and his head was pounding. He was _not_ going to school today. 

**Castiel**

Castiel hardly slept. He stayed on the phone, listening to Dean’s mumbles for far too long before he realized he should have hung up an hour prior. He couldn’t help but feel slightly worried - since Dean was ridiculously intoxicated - but hearing that he was asleep was at least promising. “Well you look like a steamy bag of doodoo, baby bro.” Cas’ brother stood in his doorway. 

Cas scoffed and ran a hand through his unruly bedhead. “Thanks. You always did have a way with words, Gabriel.”

He walked over and plopped in Cas’ bed, not caring that he wasn’t welcome. “I know. I’m awesome. So… who kept you up last night?”

“No one.” Cas answered much too quickly. _Ugh… why is he so nosey?_

“Sure. You just always sleep with your phone under your pillow?” He rolled his eyes and stood. “Whatever, If you need dating advice, I’m only two doors down.

“Dating? Castiel is dating?” His eldest brother asked as he walked in the room. 

“What is this, a reunion? Can I get up and brush my teeth before you grill me with questions? I’m not dating anyone and I have to get ready for school.” Cas decided not to think about how he actually got sad at that admission.

“Oh.” Nick actually looked sad for him and it made Cas feel even worse about it. “Well… When you do, we’d love to meet them.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Cas got out of bed and walked around them to hide in the bathroom. _Why do they even care?_

When he got to school, Cas wondered how much of their conversation Dean would remember. Would he remember Cas asking what pan was? Would he remember asking Cas to feed him skittles? Would he remember he called at all? Cas feared the latter. 

Unfortunately for him, Dean never showed up at school. He made it to his last class of the day before he reached out himself.

**Cas: Are you alive?**

He blushed after he hit send and pocketed his phone, convincing himself not to peek at it until school was out. It turned out to be harder than he thought, he kept thinking he felt it vibrate, but it wasn’t until the moment it actually vibrated that he realized the other vibrations were in his head. _Ugh, still have fifteen minutes!_

By the time the bell rang, Cas couldn’t help it. He pulled out his phone and smiled down at his messages. 

**Dean: Yes, feeling much better now that I’ve puked about four times. Happy Friday**

He added the sick looking emoji and Cas quickly responded.

**Cas: Gross. Maybe you should drink less… skittles.**

**Dean: Nah, I like to taste the rainbow ;)**

Cas blushed and then felt like an idiot. It was just a dumb winking emoji, why did it give him butterflies? Why did anything Dean Winchester was doing give him butterflies? 

The realization had him shoving his phone back in his pocket and making his way home. He didn’t respond because he didn't know what to say. Why was he feeling this way? Why did he find himself thinking of Dean so much? Dean was a guy… Cas wasn’t gay. 

But would it be so bad if he was? Dean seemed to be doing just fine. How did he figure it out? It wasn’t until past bedtime that Cas finally worked up the courage to text again.

**Cas: How did you know you liked boys?**

Immediate regret coursed through his veins and he wished he could appear wherever Dean’s phone was a smash it into a million pieces. The text chime that came in felt like a bucket of cold water and he required a short pep talk before reading the message. 

**Dean: I kinda always knew. I liked girls at first because I thought I was supposed to. When I realized I liked boys too, I hid it for a long time and tried not to think about it, but puberty made that impossible. It was just where my mind went when I was… you know… private time. I found out bisexual was a thing and assumed I was that for a while, wasn’t until high school that I realized I wasn’t alone and there were a lot of sexualities out there.**

**Cas: How many?**

He set his phone aside to wipe his sweaty palms on his comforter. He didn't expect Dean to be so… open. Did his dad know?

**Dean: Hell, a lot. More than I know so I don't wanna give the wrong information, but google is your friend, Cas.**

**Dean: if you’re curious I mean… are you?**

**Cas: No**

_Oh yeah, that was convincing._

**Cas: Does your dad know?**

That one took Dean a long time to respond to. Cas stared at his phone as the three dots appeared and disappeared and when a simple:

**Dean: Nah.**

Came in, Cas was actually disappointed. 

**Cas: Oh, sorry if I asked too much**

_Shit, this was going so well._

**Dean: No biggy. Just haven’t found the right time to tell him. I want to… soon. Kinda been weighing on me.**

**Cas: Then you should. It will probably feel great to get out. And he loves you, no matter what.**

**Dean: Yeah… thanks Cas. If you ever have any other questions, I’d be happy to answer, but there is nothing wrong with liking more than one gender. Don't let anyone convince you otherwise.**

**Cas: Thanks. Night Dean.**

**Dean: Night :)**

Castiel ignored the pesky butterflies over the dumb smiley emoji and thought about what the hell Dean just said. He knew there was nothing wrong with liking one or more genders, but it just wasn’t who he was. He liked girls… sort of. He liked them from a distance more, if he was being honest, but he still liked them. 

Falling asleep was hard. 

He tossed and turned for hours before he finally realized what he needed. It had been weeks since he had jacked off, and all the stress of school was weighing on him. He was only thinking of Dean so often because he was wound up. He just wasn't thinking right… right?

Cas decided to go for it and slipped a hand down his pajamas to stroke himself lazily. He pictured the hot chicks at school, hardly getting a chub as he visualized their skirts. He nearly gave up when his mind - without warning - pictured Dean. Suddenly, his cock was at full mast and leaking inside his fist. _Fine! Just this once. It’s just all that talk with Dean. My mind is just curious._

Dean wasn’t a virgin, that much is known, but what did he do when he was with guys? ‘ _Google is your friend, Cas.’ Okay, Dean, let’s google._

He stopped stroking himself a while to browse the internet and learn about sexualities, but his dick was still hard; it was not going to let up until he finally got some release. Before he knew it, he was watching porn. Gay porn. 

How fast he came was beyond embarrassing - and don't get him started on the amount of come. It was like his first time all over again and he was wrong, so wrong. This wouldn’t be “just this once” no, Cas already wanted more. _What the hell is happening? Am I gay??_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for the record, I know what bi is, I am bi. Dean is seventeen years old and druuunk. He instantly says he isn’t explaining it right and tells Cas to research. Please don’t comment about how Dean was wrong, I know how he was wrong and this isn’t the focus of this fic, which is why it moves on quickly. I wanted to naturally throw in that there are more sexualities than most people realize, as realistically as possible.


	6. Strange How the Night Moves

**Dean**

Halloween was a shit show, but because of that embarrassing drunk dialing incident, Dean and Cas’ friendship had improved tremendously. By December, they were at the point where they texted at least once a day, and Dean wasn’t complaining. 

He had stopped flirting with anyone else entirely. There was something about Cas’ fluster that made Dean only want to flirt with him. He had also given up trying _not_ to crush on Cas. That ship had sailed.

“You look cold, Novak.” Dean ruffled the snow out of his messy hair. 

Charlie was supposed to be here too, but she bailed at the last minute, and Dean once again had zero complaints.

Cas grinned and pushed him playfully. “Maybe I like the cold.”

“If you want my beanie, it’s yours. I run hot.” Dean pulled off his beanie and put it on Cas’ head for him. “There. Your nose is still pink though.” He tapped it and took a step back. 

The park was pretty much deserted, but at least the snow had stopped.

“I probably look ridiculous,” Cas said as he pulled the beanie further over his ears. “I’ve never looked good in hats.”

“Because you have awesome hair, duh.” Dean climbed on the jungle gym and kicked off some snow so they could sit on it. “You ever gonna tell me that tequila story, Cas?”

He laughed quietly and sat closer to Dean than he anticipated. “Well, I drank a little too much and ended up walking on my hands across the room... buck naked.” Cas blushed with a grin and looked down, fidgeting with his gloves. “It was a disaster.”

Dean laughed pretty hard at that, and even harder after Cas gave him his famous bitch face. “Okay, so next time, I’m getting tequila.”

Cas rolled his eyes and shoved Dean again, but Dean caught his hands and Cas’ jaw went slack as he looked in Dean’s eyes. Dean let go and Cas cleared his throat, his face even redder. “I’m not sure me, tequila, and crowds mix very well.”

“Don’t need a crowd. It can just be us.” _That’s a little creepy._ “And Charlie, if you wanted.” He blushed and scratched the back of his head.

“Well, it’s not like she’s never seen me naked.” Cas flicked his eyes to Dean’s mouth and then looked straight ahead. “So... Have you told your dad yet?”

“Uh... no, actually. I almost did when I was full of turkey at Thanksgiving, but then I decided to wait until I wasn’t so full... and then just didn’t.” Dean looked down at his feet. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous. I know he’d love me still.”

Cas was silent for a couple of minutes and then put his hand on Dean’s knee. “I think you’re right, but I also think you don’t need to rush it. I think you’re brave for even thinking about it.”

“Thanks.” Dean took a chance and set his hand on top of Cas’. 

Their eyes met again, and both were powerless to look away. In fact, if it wasn’t for the damn car horn, Dean was sure they almost kissed. 

Once the spell was broken, Cas jumped up to leave. “I... just remembered, I told my mom I’d be back by dark. I need to go, I’ll... talk to you later.” He dashed off, not looking back - Dean’s beanie still on his head.

Dean watched him go, worried he just fucked up, but he didn’t regret it. He couldn’t. Cas may not be ready to come out, but at least he was interested in Dean, too... maybe. 

He didn’t sleep much that night, or the next. Cas had avoided his texts for a day and was short with him the next, but on day three, he agreed to hang out after school on Friday. It would be at Charlie’s, but hey, maybe she’d have some tequila. 

The week dragged on, and by the time he was knocking on Charlie’s door, he was a little nervous.

She opened the door with a knowing smirk. “You’re early.”

“Am I? You didn’t say a time.” He blushed and averted her gaze. “I showered and ate, didn’t have anything else going on.”

Charlie raised her eyebrows with an amused expression. “I’m kidding, Dean. We started drinking over an hour ago. Come on in, Cas is... you’ll see.” She moved out of the way to let him in, and Cas was in the living room trying to play golf on Charlie’s Wii. He was half bent over, shaking his ass and holding the controller like a baseball bat instead of a golf club.

Dean couldn’t help where his eyes went. With an ass like that on display, everything else disappeared. He noticed Charlie watching him all too late and pointedly looked away. “Uh, hey, Cas.”

“Huh?” Cas turned, missing his shot by a mile. His face was flushed from the alcohol, and he smiled widely when he saw Dean. “She talked me into tequila.”

“Well, thank you, Charlie. Can I have some?” Dean checked out Cas one more time and walked to the kitchen. “How much catchin’ up I gotta do, Cas?”

He laughed and glanced up at the ceiling like he was trying to do math. “I think... maybe two fun sized bags of Skittles?”

“Oh, geez.” Dean poured a cup half full and filled the rest with some orange juice. It tasted like salty ass, but it would do the damn trick. “Not doin’ so hot there, huh?” Dean plopped on the couch with a grunt.

Cas turned to face him and stuck his tongue between his teeth, shaking his head a little bit. “I think my body temperature is high enough to melt steel.”

Dean raised his eyebrows and hid his smile behind his plastic cup. “Maybe you should lose the shirt?”

The look Cas gave him was intense, and then he gripped the bottom of his shirt with his arms crossed and raised them up slowly, revealing his skin inch by inch until the shirt was off. Cas smirked and threw it at Dean, then ran a hand through his messy hair. “My eyes are up here, Dean.”

“Huh? Eyes? Yeah...” Dean cleared his throat and took a long drink. “Game is over there, Cas.”

Cas shrugged with a half smile and turned to face the TV, grabbing the controller again and bending over. “I’m honestly amazing at this game, if you haven’t noticed.” 

Dean let out a chuckle, still unable to look away. “Oh yeah? Bet I can beat you, your posture is all wrong.” He chugged the rest of his drink and set it aside, fighting off the gag. “Want some help with that?” 

**Castiel**

Cas froze, missing his cue to swing. The thought of having Dean’s hands on him shouldn’t be as enticing as it actually was, but Cas blamed the tequila. Heat pooled in his gut and he bit his lip, releasing it slowly. “You can’t do both. Pick one; help me or try to beat me.” _There, now it’s not my fault if he picks ‘help me’._

“I’d rather help.” Dean stood up and walked over so slowly his boots echoed against the hardwood with every single step. “You’re arching your back a little too much.” He stood behind him and wrapped his body around Cas’ with ease. “Hold here, and stand...” Dean bent down to adjust Cas’ feet, “like this.”

Almost involuntarily, Cas leaned back against Dean. It felt wrong, but so, _so_ right to have Dean’s crotch pressing up against his ass. Again, he blamed the tequila. “Sorry, can you... show me again? I wasn’t paying attention.”

Dean huffed a laugh against the back of his neck and then he repeated the steps. “Swing with your body and not your hands... if this was real... I guess your stance doesn’t really matter since it’s a game, huh?” Cas turned just in time to see his blush.

The shiver that went down his spine was unreal. Cas blinked, feeling the urge to... _holy shit. I want to kiss him. Him. A man. I want to kiss a man._

He tried to recover, sucking in a steadying breath and turning his back to Dean again, this time attempting to actually play the game. With Dean’s hands sliding down his arms to cover his hands and guiding him, he actually hit a hole-in-one.

“See? You don’t need me.” Dean let go and walked around him. “Can I kick your ass now?” He had such an infectious grin that Cas couldn’t help but smile.

Cas tilted his head to the side and licked his lip. “Would you care to make a bet?”

Dean gallic shrugged and wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb. “You’re on, what you have in mind, pretty eyes?” 

Charlie cleared her throat and made some awkward exit to the bedroom, but they hardly glanced her way.

He’d be lying if he said the compliment didn’t send butterflies scattering in his stomach. “Okay. We’re picking what happens if we lose, not if we win. It’s much fairer that way. So, if you win, I have to confess something.”

“Confessions, huh?” Dean bit his bottom lip, contemplating what to say. “Okay, and I guess it’s only fair to offer kinda the same. I don’t have a confession, but you can ask me any questions you wanna ask and I gotta tell the truth.”

Cas nodded, knowing there was no way in hell he was going to win, so Dean’s end of the bet didn’t matter. What _did_ matter, is that he basically just set himself up for the perfect opportunity to say something he’d never otherwise have the courage to say. “You’re on.” Cas took another quick swig of tequila and tossed Dean one of the controllers.

He caught it and set the game up. “Come on, player one.” Dean moved a mere two inches away and was staring at Cas competitively. “No pressure, don’t mind me.”

Having Dean so close was unnerving, but Cas realized all at once that he wasn’t close enough. Cas huffed and did his best to ignore Dean, focusing on the screen and honestly giving it a solid, too-many-Skittles tipsy attempt. He failed miserably, but laughed it off and went to stand next to the TV during Dean’s turn. _I may not stand a chance at winning, but I don’t have to make it easy on him._ He toyed with the waistband of his jeans, hoping the movement would trigger Dean’s memory of the original tequila story and distract him.

Dean’s eyes watched Cas’ fingers while he took his stance, and froze a second too long before finally looking at the screen. “You gonna strip tease to distract me?” He grinned and swung, doing better than Cas, but not sinking it.

“I was legitimately thinking about it.” Cas smiled widely and moved forward again, nudging Dean gently to get some more room. “Would it have worked?”

“Uh... Yeah. Definitely.” Dean chuckled and moved side. “Tequila just makes you wanna be naked, huh?” Cas took his turn and did slightly better, but not by much; and on Dean’s next turn, he sunk the ball.

Cas laughed, setting his controller down and stepping in front of Dean. “It makes me _hot._ Seriously, feel.” Cas reached out and took Dean’s hand, bringing it to the bare skin of Cas’ stomach. “So, yes. It makes me want to be _very_ naked.”

Dean ran his rough hand across his stomach with his eyes staring at the flushed skin. “You’re always hot, but I feel what you mean.” He walked toward the kitchen with his empty cup.

_He wants this, too. He has to. No one looks at someone they’re not interested in like that._ Cas stared down at his feet for a moment, trying to mentally psych himself up to following through. He glanced over at his cup and chose not to drink anymore, then followed Dean to the kitchen. “How many Skittles, Dean?”

“Not too many yet. I had a big dinner.” He chugged some more and then set the cup down. “How about you? Wanna skip this game and get to that confession?”

Cas nodded quickly and shifted his weight to his right foot. “I... am fairly certain, _almost_ positive... that I’m...” he swallowed, leaning left, and whispered, “ _gay_.” 

Dean smiled and leaned back against the counter. “Okay. I’m proud of you for saying it out loud. Feels good, huh?”

“Wait.” Cas squinted, the nervousness changing to something else. “You... knew?”

“Well no, I didn’t _know_ but... I thought maybe you like dudes... I didn’t know exclusively or not, but I’ve never seen you even look at a chick's ass, so...” He shrugged. “I wouldn’t judge you either way.”

It wasn’t quite the response Cas had been hoping for, but at least Dean wasn’t judging him. He nodded dumbly, changing his mind about that tequila. “Thank you. I’m going... to go get my drink.”

“So... saying it to someone didn’t feel good for you?” Dean followed with an adorably confused face. “Are you upset that I suspected?”

_No, I’m upset you didn’t seem happier about it._ “Not at all, although... I’m not sure how I feel about someone else knowing before I did. That’s not your fault, though.” Cas picked up his drink and took a sip, then eyed Dean. “You’re irritatingly attractive. _That_ is your fault.”

Dean chuckled and pulled Cas’ drink back slowly. “So, you’re just gay for me?” He tilted his head and stepped in further.

“No, I didn’t say that.” Cas let go of the cup as Dean set it down, his fingers twitching with the desire to pull Dean in. “Screw it.” He closed the distance, wrapping his hands around the back of Dean’s head and kissing him quickly. “Can -can I do it again? Tell me I can do it again.”

“Yeah, please do.” Dean kissed him, his hands wrapping around the small of his back as his tongue slipped inside Cas’ mouth for the first time.

Cas moaned quietly and tugged on a fistful of Dean’s hair as he deepened it. He knew he was a good kisser, but he’d never felt quite like _this_ before and it made him feel light - unbalanced, almost... but in the best way.

—————

Okay, so maybe Cas avoided Dean the following Monday morning. It wasn’t to be mean, that was never the intention, but he was fucking terrified. 

Not only did he just realize he was actually gay as hell, he’d kissed a boy. Not just any boy, Dean Winchester. Dean could have anyone he wanted. Why the hell was he suddenly interested in Cas? Cas wasn’t ‘ugly’ by any standards, but he still never stood out on anyone’s radar, especially someone as attractive as Dean. He was nerdy, completely uncoordinated, his humor was dry, and he carried himself like he was just done with everyone’s shit… because he was.

People sucked. Cas knew that and anyone who denied it was kidding themselves. Dean walked around like things were fine, like the world wasn't going to shit around them and it was borderline infuriating. _What the hell does he see in me?_

“So, I have this feelin’ you’re avoidin’ me… which can’t possibly be right… right?” Dean’s voice nearly made Cas jump out of his skin. He looked around, just then realizing he was in a part of the school he had no business being in, none of his classes were near this wing and he was already late to third period as is. 

_This assbutt is in my head. I literally just lost time daydreaming about him._ Cas responded in a tone that was harsher than necessary. “Maybe it has nothing to do with you. Would it be crazy to think that maybe I wasn’t avoiding you, I just wasn’t thinking about you?” _Starting with lies, that always works out._

Dean frowned slightly and leaned against the brick wall of Crowley hall. “Uh, sure. Did I do somethin’ wrong?”

All the anger Castiel was feeling deflated from his chest. He wasn't angry at Dean, he was angry at himself. Angry at the fact that he was so damn afraid of being himself. Why did he care? Why should he care what people think of him, especially in stupid high school? “No. You didn’t. I’m sorry, Dean.” Cas took a step forward.

“Okay... Whatever it is, I’m here for you, Cas.” Dean reached out a nervous hand, sliding his fingers between Cas’. “Talk to me.”

“I’m just nervous. About everything… with you.” _Don’t make me spell it out._

Dean smiled so warmly it took everything not to kiss him again. “That’s okay. I won’t pressure you, no one has to know anything. Comin’ out is hard, Cas. I won’t take that from you.”

“I know, I trust you. How did… you do it?”

Dean’s smile faded, “I was outed.”

Cas moved in closer, “how? I mean, by who?”

“He didn’t actually go to this school, but he played football and he came up to me when I was drunk at a party, started hittin’ on me and it felt good. I was nervous about it. Hell, probably worse than you, honestly. But he cornered me in one of the spare rooms and blew me. It was my first experience with a dude, he didn’t even kiss me, just dropped down and blew me. I was fucking powerless to stop him. Anyway, he walked out and told everyone I had a nice dick. I couldn’t deny it happened. I walked out of there still completely fucked out of my mind. Everyone told me it was okay and a few people teased me but for the most part everyone was supportive.” He paused and Cas wasn’t sure if he would finish the story but after a second he continued, “point is, I wouldn’t out you, I know how that shit feels. Maybe my experience wasn’t so bad, but it was still taken from me. I didn’t get to do it my way. I just had to smile and act like it wasn’t the most embarrassing moment of my life.”

“Thank you for sharing that with me.” Cas touched his cheek softly and smiled when Dean smiled. 

“Course. I trust you… and you can trust me.”

Cas nodded, knowing deep in his heart that it was true and he made the first move. Pressing his lips to Dean’s softly, hoping his lips could express what his voice couldn’t. _Maybe this is real after all..._


	7. Front Page Drive-In News

**Dean**

_Recreated coming out scene from 13 Reason’s Why_

Things with Cas were going great. Yeah, it was all still a secret, but they had definitely moved past the awkward stage and things were heating up… fast. It wasn’t his first experience with a relationship, and even though things weren’t official, Dean _knew_ this was different. _This_ was love. And although nothing else could have given him the balls, _this_ did. 

He was fucking nervous. John was a great dad, but letting him down had always been one of Dean’s biggest fears. Even something as simple as dropping a pass had him checking the stands, hoping his dad would nod some encouragement at him, and for the most part, he always did. 

John loved Dean. He would never deny that, but there were times he was hard on him and Dean didn't know if this would be one of those things. He was happy his dad wasn’t religious or he may have never found the courage to come out, but after being with Cas and realizing he was the one for him, Dean needed to share this with his dad. _Please still love me._

He saw his dad sitting inside the coffee shop and took a deep breath. They never just met up for coffee, so he wasn’t surprised that his dad actually looked worried - especially since Dean called him while he was working. _Here goes nothin’._ Dean exhaled a deep breath and walked inside. 

“I ordered your coffee,” John said as he pulled Dean in for a hug, “should be out any minute.”

“Officer Winchester?” The barista called, as if that was her cue. 

“I got it.” Dean made his way over and grabbed their oversized mugs. “Thanks.” He walked back slower than he needed to, but with each passing second, his butterflies had more and more friggin babies. 

They sat in silence for much too long before John cleared his throat. “Son, whatever it is you got on your mind there, spit it out. No matter what, I have your back. Knock up some cheerleader?”

Dean snorted and set his coffee down. “Uh, no… Not even close.”

“Well…?” John waited expectantly. 

Dean glanced around the coffee shop and scratched his head. “So um... I’m not 100% straight... I’m not _any_ percent straight. I’m... pansexual. I like... people for people, and... I have a... boyfriend... kinda.”

“Yeah.” John smiled and reached out to touch Dean’s hand. “I love you, Dean. Always have, always will... You make me so proud.”

“Proud? By not being straight?” _What did they put in this coffee?_ Dean met his eyes, trying to understand why he was proud. 

John’s gaze didn’t waver. “By being yourself.”

_Did_ **_not_ ** _see that comin’._ “Wait... What did you mean by ‘yeah’? Did you... know?” 

“I sensed you were... figuring stuff out. About your sexuality.”

_Guess I’m just Dean friggin Bond._ “How?”

“Living with you. Watching you.”

_Not creepy at all…_ “Okay, but wha- what exactly did you see that told you I might not be straight?”

John chuckled and took a long dramatic drink of his coffee. “No self-respecting high school football player is that big a fan of Eli Manning.”

_Okay, hold on._ “He has two Superbowl rings.”

“He got those almost by accident.”

“And he never gives up.” _Heart counts for somethin’!_

“A good quality when you throw more interceptions than completions.”

_What the hell?!_ “How are you doing this to Eli Manning? You said you loved me.”

John laughed loudly and a few people turned, but Dean didn't care, he was busy getting betrayed by his own dad. “I do, and in the eighth grade you had an Eli Manning wallpaper on your phone.”

Dean blushed slightly and cleared his throat. “He’s a very good quarterback.”

“He was shirtless.”

_Ah shit, he saw that!_ “He’s... handsome.” Dean’s voice was small, he wasn't used to talking to his dad this way, not about dudes. 

“He absolutely is.” _Hey man, Dad’s got good taste._

They laughed together, feeling closer than ever before. “Got that right.” Dean winked playfully and clicked his tongue. 

“You didn’t actually think this would change anything, did you?” John caught Dean by surprise again, but he was happy he did. 

“Well, you never know. I mean, we don’t always talk about things.” He didn't want to ruin the mood, but it was the truth. Dean saw home videos of who John was before they lost his mom and Sammy, and he was very different from this. John did the best he could raising Dean, but he didn’t take a lot of downtime because working all day was much easier than sitting around and missing what you’ve lost. Now that Dean was older, he got it. But sometimes he wished he could just… talk to his dad. 

“I know... We’ll get better at that.”

Coming out to John went better than Dean could have ever imagined and if they both had to wipe a tear away before anyone noticed, that was their own business. Dean was just proud he held it together… mostly.

After they parted ways, Dean rushed over to Cas’ house, not even texting until he was parked outside. 

**Dean: got some news, come outside**

Cas didn’t respond right away, but Dean wasn’t surprised when he just walked outside and climbed in the car. 

“Hello, Dean. Stalker much?” Cas joked and Dean didn't miss how his eyes went down to Dean’s lips before he completely averted his gaze. 

_Mmhmm, you wanna kiss too, huh?_ “Hey, it isn’t stalker status if I text you and tell you I’m here.” Dean fought the urge to grab his hand. “I came out to my dad.”

Cas’s eyes shot up and widened. “You did?! Well, what did he say?”

Dean couldn’t stop smiling if someone paid him. “He said he’s proud of me and loves me.” He felt the emotions bubbling up in his chest at the weight of those words. Why they waited until now to creep up on him was annoying, but he felt better when he felt Cas’ hand grip his. 

“That’s huge, Dean. I’m proud of you, too. I…” Cas stopped himself, “and how does it make you feel?”

He contemplated a moment before answering, “like I’m worth a damn. Like all this work I’ve done to make my dad proud has paid off. I mean, I’m not stoppin’ here. I want to make him proud every damn day. But… it feels good, Cas. Like I’m lighter.”

“Good.” Cas smiled and looked like he might kiss him again. 

“It also makes me feel brave enough to ask you somethin’. Cas… Uh, would you wanna maybe… be my boyfriend?” He felt the heat in his cheeks but didn’t care, he just wanted Cas all to himself. 

**Castiel**

_Holy fuck. Holy fuck! Am I ready for this? Am I ready to be in this big of a damn limelight? This is Dean Winchester! Not only would I be fully out of the closet, I would be holding hands with the hottest boy in school… hell_ **_any_ ** _school._ Cas looked into Dean’s green eyes and instantly knew his answer. _Yes… I am ready, because I sure as hell can’t ruin this. Dean wants me, I want him._ “Erm… yeah.” Cas felt himself blush and couldn’t help but laugh at whatever was going on in his chest.

“Awesome! Can I… kiss you again?” 

Cas licked his lips and nodded, moving his body to give Dean better access. 

When their lips met again, any doubt he had slipped away. Dean was a very experienced kisser, and maybe Cas hadn’t had _as many_ experiences, but he’d had his fair share and no kiss had _ever_ compared to kissing Dean. They made out a while, and Cas started to wonder if he was ready for the next step. They were official now, and he’d be lying if he didn’t admit to thinking of Dean while he jacked off. _Would Dean want that too? Who would bottom… Oh shit, who would bottom? Fuck… probably me. Dean is a damn top, he told me. Am I really ready for this?_

Dean did some small flick with his tongue that had Cas nearly nodding and begging for it right then. _Yes, fuck yes, I’m ready. But first…_

Cas pulled back slightly and felt even more nervous than before. “Dean… I think I need to come out.”

“What? Really? Cas, don’t come out before you’re ready. Especially just because I did. You take all the time you need. It’s not easy.” Dean touched his cheek softly and Cas melted into his hand.

“No, I want to. I want to be able to say ‘I’m going to my boyfriend’s house’ and it just be a normal thing. I want to think and talk about you freely with the ones I love. I can sit here for weeks and worry about how they would respond, or I can walk in there and get it done. I choose the latter.” Dean’s fond smile made him blush again. “What?” Cas asked when he took too long to speak. 

“Nothin’ just… proud of you. You’re so strong, Cas.”

“Shut up. Let’s just go.”

“‘Let’s? As in, me too?”

“Yes. Are you going to make me do it alone?” Cas tilted his head with a small frown.

“No… I’m just… what if your dad punches me for ruining his son?” Dean looked adorable when he was nervous.

“Yeah, right. Your face is what’s going to make this easier on everyone, in case you haven’t noticed, you’re easy on the eyes.” Cas grinned. “In any case, you make me feel braver.”

Dean leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on Cas’ forehead. “Lead the way, you brave bird.”

“Don't call me bird or I will take all this back in five seconds.” With a dramatic eye roll, Cas got out of the car and inhaled a deep breath. _Here goes._

Dean held his hand until they reached the door, but let go before he opened it. “I told them a friend was here for dinner because I knew no matter what, you would be open to food.”

“Aww, my _boyfriend_ knows me so well.” Dean teased and poked him in the ribs as they entered the dining room. Cas didn’t get a chance to respond before they were spotted. 

“Ah there you are, boys.” Cas’ mother smiled warmly.

His father Rob looked up with a smile as well. “Hey, guys.”

Hannah continued to set the table. “I don’t believe I’ve met our dinner guest tonight.”

Cas was nervous, “um yeah, this is Dean.”

“Dean Winchester, the wide receiver.” His brother Nick said with an excited grin.

“Um, yeah... and also... uh, my boyfriend.” Cas blushed and awaited whatever was about to be thrown his way. 

His parents shared a look but continued smiling. “Well, good to see you again, Dean. I hope you like steak.” Rob gestured to the table.

“Yes, sir. I love meat.” Dean stood tall, a faint blush on his cheeks. “I didn’t mean it like _that_ at all. I meant like real meat… food meat. Cas, shut me up please.” 

_Not a chance._ Dean’s rambling helped loosen the tightness in Cas’ chest. 

Nick spoke up again as Gabe entered the dining room. “You’re dating a fucking football player? Sweet!” 

Hannah scoffed, “Nick, language.”

Gabe plopped down with a grin. “I knew it! You’ve been texting way too much to not have had a boyfriend!”

Cas didn’t have a chance to question how Gabe knew it was a boyfriend and not a girlfriend, but they always were the closest out of everyone. 

“That’s awesome! Dean, you’re sitting here, man. Come on, we gotta talk about that offense and those touchdowns last week.”

Dean walked over proudly, sitting between Cas’ brothers like he belonged there, and maybe he did. Their conversation flowed easily and Cas didn’t even realize he was staring before his mom made her way over and wrapped an arm around him. “Are you okay?”

“Um, yeah.” Cas turned to look at her finally. “I thought this would be a bigger deal,” he admitted.

“Well, is he good to you?” They glanced over at Dean and watched him passionately talk football with all the important men in Cas’ life. He looked back at his mom and nodded with a smile. “Then it is a big deal.” She pulled him into a hug, and Cas felt lighter than ever before. 

He was out. 

Dean was out. 

They were officially boyfriends. 

Later that night, they laid on Baby’s hood listening to Dean’s Seger mix and staring up at the clear sky. It was a cool night and even though Cas brought out a blanket, they still had to cuddle close to keep warm. “So... How does it feel, Cas? You’re out.”

“It feels... strange, I think. But good, like all of a sudden, I’m not trying to keep part of me obscured.” He reached his hand down to lace his fingers with Dean’s. “It’s nice.”

Dean sighed and squeezed his hand softly. “Good. I don’t want you to ever feel like you have to hide with me.”

“I don’t think I ever did. I know I didn’t tell you right away or... realize it right away, but I never felt like you’d judge me or that I couldn’t be honest.”

“Awesome.” Dean rolled on his side and kissed his cheek. “I was hopin’ you’d feel that way.” He cupped Cas’ chin softly and thumbed at his lip. “So... Can I hold your hand at school now?”

Cas nodded, leaned to kiss him properly. “I would like that very much, yes.” Dean deepened the kiss, running his hand down to grip Cas’ hip as he slid his tongue into his mouth, and Cas melted into him. Knowing he wasn’t ready to go all the way, but also knowing he sure didn’t want this to stop.

They kissed until they were both completely hard in their jeans. Dean pulled back and stared down at Cas, “I’ll never get enough of you.” 

Cas wasn’t done… he’d never be done. “Good, now shut up.” He pulled Dean back down, lapping into his mouth desperately. 

“Cas…” Dean whispered and kissed down his neck.

“Dean…” He whispered back, realizing just then he wanted Dean to kiss even lower. He rutted into the air, hoping Dean would get the damn message. Cas could see the moment he understood and his eyes shot up to meet his.

Dean searched his face, “you sure?” He licked his sinful lips and pulled his bottom one between his teeth when Cas nodded. “There’s no rush. M’not goin’ anywhere.” 

“I know, Dean. I know.” There was no denying it anymore, Castiel Novak was unequivocally in love with Dean Winchester.


	8. A Pie-In-The-Sky Summit

**Dean**

The holidays flew by, and since it was both of their first Christmas with a boyfriend, they went all out on cheesy gifts and traditions - complete with matching pajama pants. 

They still hadn’t had sex - though they came pretty damn close again on New Years - but _that_ blowjob quickly escalated. Dean had previously never had the opportunity to frott before - condoms made it nearly impossible - but since Dean had recently been tested, they decided to try it and if they both came in less than two minutes, that was their business. 

He wasn’t sure if Cas was ready to have sex and the last thing he wanted to do was pressure him. So, when Cas kept inviting Charlie to hang out with them, he assumed that meant not yet, and he respected that.

His birthday was here, and now that Dean was finally eighteen, he had to seriously think about the future. He had no damn clue what he wanted to do, all he knew was he was done with football and he wanted to be wherever the hell Cas was. 

They hadn’t talked about college yet, and it was probably time to do that, but not today. Today was all about burgers and cake.

“Happy Birthday, Dean.” Cas wrapped his arms around him the second he walked in the door.

“Thank you, baby.” Dean kissed him. “Best present ever is your face.” He kissed all over his face annoyingly until Cas was shoving him back with a huge smile. “Where’s Charlie?” 

“She will be here in a bit. She had a date with that one chick. Where’s Cole?” Cas looked around the empty living room.

Dean shrugged. “He’s comin’ later too, you’re kinda early. Not that I’m complaining at all.” He interlocked their fingers and kissed his hand. “Dad’s workin’ until 7 and then he’s grillin’ up those burgers.”

“Hmm… so we have a couple of hours just us?”

Dean didn’t miss the nerves radiating off his boyfriend and nodded. “We can watch a movie or somethin’?” _No pressure, Cas._ He only didn’t say those words aloud because he felt even _that_ might pressure him. 

Cas chewed on the corner of his lip and smiled a little bit. “Actually, I was hoping we could just… go hang out in your room.” He pulled Dean toward the stairs without waiting for an answer and Dean went willingly. 

“Okay.” He wrapped his arms around Cas and kissed the back of his neck as they walked sloppily to the room.

Just that brief gesture must have had Cas already wanting it more, because the second the door closed behind them, Cas turned to kiss Dean properly. Dean couldn’t help but smile at Cas’ enthusiasm, he wrapped his hand around him and squeezed his ass as Cas deepened the kiss.

Cas was panting by the time he pulled back, his eyes darker than normal. “I want it, Dean. Want you. For real.”

_Oh fuck, please... no... play it cool._ “Uh... you sure?” Dean looked down at Cas’ tented jeans and bit his lip. “I want you for real, too... I don’t want you to feel obligated because it’s my birthday. Are you absolutely sure?”

“Yes, I’m sure.” Cas reached down to palm himself and nodded. “I’ve wanted it for a while, I was just... too scared to make the first move. But I can’t wait another day.” He kissed him again, needy and hot.

Dean lifted him clear off his feet and carried him to lay on the bed, practically ripping both of their shirts off and kissing down Cas’ bare body. 

Cas lifted his hips so Dean could slide down his pants and boxers and gasped when he took him in his mouth. The moans coming out of Cas were addicting as Cas grabbed on to everything he could - the sheets, Dean’s hair, his shoulders. He spread his legs so far apart he was nearly doing a split.

Dean pulled off with a grin. “Gonna grab the lube.” He nipped Cas’ hip and stood up, adjusting his throbbing boner as he opened his dresser.

“I kept waiting for you to make a move. I realize now you were just trying not to pressure me, but...” Cas reached down to squeeze himself, breathing heavily. “I was starting to think you didn’t want to.”

Dean made a _pfft_ sound and walked back to the bed and stared down. “You’re trippin’. You have no clue how many times I jacked off to this.” He opened the lube and went back to suck him off while he warmed it.

“Fuck, me too.” Cas rocked up, wiggling his hips and clutching onto the pillow above his head.

Dean slid off just as he pressed his first finger to Cas’ hole. “I’m glad you wanted to bottom, baby.” He didn’t know what he would do if Cas wanted to top, but he probably would have caved.

Cas chuckled through a gasp. “You’re a hard top, Dean.”

“Would do anything for you, though.” He slid his finger in further and began working him open. “Doing okay there, handsome?”

He nodded like a bobble head, arching his back as he thrust up weakly into the air. “Yes, it’s - I didn’t expect it to feel this good.”

Dean smiled and sucked his cock back into his mouth. He took his time, but once he had Cas nice and prepped they were both desperate for more. “Ready?” With his cock lined up, Dean took a deep shaky breath as Cas nodded feverishly. “Fuck, you look so good writhing for my cock.”

Cas blushed and reached out for Dean, running his hands over his torso and down to his hips. “Please, Dean. I need you.”

Dean wasn’t able to respond with words. He pushed inside with a moan, his eyes slamming shut as Cas’ tight ring of muscles let him by. He bottomed out quicker than he meant to, but Cas felt so good he wasn’t about to last long regardless. “So fucking tight.”

“All for you, baby.” Cas pulled him down and licked his earlobe, his chest heaving beneath Dean’s. “Only you.”

Cas had no clue how much that meant to Dean. He had a crush on Castiel for months before he ever gave him the time of day, and now he was all his. Dean had never been happier, and that was easily the best birthday he’d ever had.

**Castiel**

Having Dean inside him was incredible. He felt so full, so loved, so _needed_ that it was hard to keep his head above water. Cas could drown in Dean and be happy about it. 

The stretch got worse as Dean pulled back, but within a few thrusts, Cas was back to feeling nothing but insane, consuming pleasure. He caught Dean’s lips and kissed him messily, not giving a shit about technique or anything other than tasting as much of Dean as he could.

Cas could feel Dean‘s eyes on him and hoped he could see just how good this was for him. When Dean leaned down to suck on his neck, he moaned his name loudly and scratched up his back.

“Fuck,” Cas gasped, pushing Dean back far enough that Cas could grip his cock and start stroking quickly. Dean was fucking him so well Cas was seeing stars - and he was way too far gone to deny himself the orgasm that was mounting so quickly it was insane. He clenched around Dean as he rolled his hips to fuck his fist and grunted. “I - I can’t - hold - I’m gon -” Cas came so hard he was surprised his soul stayed in his body, and Dean just kept fucking him, pounding into him harder until Cas was drained and boneless, covered in his own spend. 

It was the best he’d ever felt in his life.

“Fuck, that was so hot... gonna -” Dean slammed inside, filling up his ass with the sexiest groan Cas had ever heard and then collapsed on top of him. “Cas...” Dean kissed up his neck and jaw towards his lips.

If that was sex, Cas had been seriously missing out. He met Dean’s lips and kissed him, hard but slow, and sighed into his mouth. “I love you. You know that, right?”

“Ah shit, I was gonna say it first.” Dean blushed and kissed him again. “I love you, too. You have no idea how happy that just made me. Fuck... I love you. This is the best birthday ever and I’m not pulling out of this ass until you force me.”

Cas started laughing, but realized the movement was about to do exactly that, so he stopped. “Then I suppose we’ll just have to kick everyone out early so we can do it again. Do you think I was too loud?”

Dean chuckled and kissed his neck. “You were, but I loved it. I wasn’t very quiet either, but I think we’re still alone.”

The smile on Cas’ face was contagious to begin with, but when it finally sank in that Dean _loved_ him - his face became nearly as split as his ass. He sighed happily, running his hands over Dean’s flushed body. “Thank you, Dean. For being so patient with me, right from the beginning.”

“Thank you for givin’ me a shot, Cas.” His spent cock slipped out and they both pouted, but then started lazily kissing each other’s pouts away.

He could have spent the rest of his life there kissing Dean. It felt so right. But unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one with Dean’s attention, and someone knocked on the door. 

“Are you two done yet?!”

Dean’s eyes widened and Cas blushed furiously. “Go away... it’s my birthday!” he joked, and kissed Cas one more time before climbing off the bed. “Cole interrupts everything.” 

“Well, your dad is the one asking, dickhead,” Cole laughed, and it was Dean’s turn to blush.

Cas scrambled to put his pants back on but hadn’t been anticipating the awkward, stretched feeling of his ass, and fell flat on the ground with a yelp and then a surprised laugh. “Well, that was... ungraceful.”

Dean bit back his laugh and walked over to help him up, but Cas had other plans. He pulled Dean down on top of him for laughing and they ended up making out for far too long again. “If there wasn’t pie down stairs, I’d tell them all to fuck off.”

Cas’ stomach flipped as Dean helped him to his feet before they cleaned up and got dressed. Now that the first time was out of the way, Cas wasn’t sure how they were ever going to stop - not that he particularly had any interest in that. 

Dean opened the door and Cole was grinning like an asshole, but something about it made Cas proud instead of embarrassed. _Dean is mine._ He slid his fingers between Dean’s and eyed Cole. “Jealous?”

“Gross.” Cole teased and shoved at Dean. “Why are you slummin’ it with this mediocre wide receiver, Novak?” 

Dean laughed and pushed back, sparking a wrestling match in the hallway.

Cas just looked on fondly, pleased to see Dean kicked his ass. When Cole finally stood back up and dusted himself off, Cas smirked. “He’s twice the football player you’ll ever be, and _I’m_ the receiver around here.” He winked, surprised to hell at his own brazenness and ducked around Cole to head to the kitchen. 

Cole looked dumbfounded for a second and then clapped Dean on the shoulder, still in earshot of Cas. “You gonna keep him?”

“Hell yeah, for as long as he’ll let me.” Dean walked into the kitchen with a beautiful grin, his eyes instantly glued to Cas. 

John walked in from the backyard with Charlie and was shaking his head. “Can you two be any louder?” He ruffled and pushed Dean’s head lovingly.

Dean gallic shrugged, pulling Cas in for a kiss. “We could, actually.”

It was weird to be talking about it so nonchalantly, but Dean made it as easy as breathing. When the kiss ended, Cas gripped the back of Dean’s shirt to hold him close and ignored the furious blush in his cheeks as he tried to join in, saying, “Challenge accepted.”

John looked up at the ceiling and muttered something about moving out. “Just save it for when I’m at work, and stay safe.” He ducked back out to check on the burgers, and Charlie walked over.

“You guys are adorable, but you definitely scarred your poor dad,” she joked.

“Hey, we were alone when we started. Not our fault.” Dean gripped his ass and smiled like the lovestruck idiot he is. “I love you.”

Cas smiled gently and kissed his cheek. “I love you too, Dean. Happy birthday. Maybe for Valentine’s Day we can go traumatize _my_ family?” 

“Can’t wait.” Dean ignored their friend’s groans and kissed him again.

There was no way they were going to make full days at school without touching each other inappropriately, but then again, Cas didn’t plan on trying.

**Dean**

When they finally had the future talk and Dean told Cas to pick their college, he was completely in shock. It was like he didn’t believe Dean would actually follow him. “Where else am I gonna go, baby?”

Cas shrugged and laid his head back on Baby’s hood. “I don’t know. I mean I hoped we’d end up close.”

“Yeah, well, this way we are close, maybe we can be roommates.” Dean blushed when Cas sat back up to stare at him.

“Roommates? Is that your way of saying you want to live together?” Cas tilted his head.

_Smooth, Dean._ “Uh, well… yeah.” 

“Okay but as roommates? Or…”

Dean pulled him in for a kiss, showing him with his lips just how much he meant to him. By the time they parted, they were both breathless, but Dean could tell Cas still wanted a real answer. “Not just as roommates, Cas. I want to live with you. I want to be your boyfriend, and maybe one day... your husband. If that isn’t where you see this goin’, tell me now.” _Save me the friggin heartache._

“Dean.” Cas gripped his hair and forced him to meet his gaze. “I want that too… all of it.”

“Well good. You uh... also wanna be my prom date or do I gotta ask you with ‘I can’t fight this feeling anymore’ playin’ from an old boombox while I stand outside your window?” 

“Absolutely, I’m not saying yes until you do.” They laughed it off together but Dean had already been planning on doing exactly that.

Dean held Cas tight to keep him warm, humming a song from 1962 and Cas closed his eyes to listen. Both of them were nervous about the future, but at least they’d always have each other. 

Ain't it funny how the night moves?


End file.
